ESPRIX AWARD 2001

Pioneer in matters of quality management - an interview with director, Beat Huber:
"This award was fitting acknowledgement of our many years of professional commitment. The Pyramid Clinic has also been a pioneer of quality management within the Swiss healthcare system. Back in 1998 we were one of the first private clinics to put ourselves through an external quality assessment based on the EFQM model for business excellence. The issues and potential areas for improvement that surfaced as a result of that process were analysed in the following year by an interdisciplinary task force and successfully addressed through strategic enhancement measures. The involvement of staff served to strengthen their commitment to the process and contributed significantly to our ability to apply a Total Quality Management approach. It has also helped us make continual improvements that will ensure we remain competitive and capable of meeting any future challenges. Deep-seated changes to the Swiss health system are forcing all protagonists, even successful niche players, to re-examine and adapt their traditional roles and services. By strengthening our process management, extending the EFQM model and introducing a Balanced Score Card we have established an integrated and comprehensive quality management system. This allows us to continually measure, evaluate and optimise all commercially relevant, strategic and operational factors in and around each area of our clinic. As part of our application for the Esprix 2001 award, we subjected ourselves to a second external quality assessment, which earned us first place in the competition and considerable internal and external recognition. As well as the high level of patient satisfaction, our superior level of staff satisfaction and short patient stays contributed to the resoundingly positive result. The ESPRIX 2001 award was not the end point, it was a signpost. We are still working with all our might on further enhancing our integrated process management system. And we are committed to the approach of continuous quality improvement, as the act of turning ordinary clinic services into something extraordinary remains the key to our success."

Minister Pascal Couchepin hands over the prize to Beat Huber